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S. G. DAVIDSON. METAL BOX 0R CHEST No. 417,813. Patented Dec. 24, 1889).

I E A a i A L i WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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METAL BOX 0R. GHEST.

No; 417,813. Patented Dec. 24, 1889.

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WITNESSES A INVENTOR.

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m,@'amm KG I, UNITED STATES I PATENT" OFFICE.

SAMU L CLEVLA'N'D DAvmsoN, or BELFAST, IR ELAND. I

1 MET-ALHBOXV OR CHEST.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 417,813, dated December24:, 189.

To all whonyftmay con 052%;

.Be it knownjthat I, SAMUEL;CLELAND DA- l VIDSON, merchant, a subject ofthe Queen of Great Britainand Ireland, residing at Sir'o'cco lV orks,Belfasfi lreland, have invented oer-i ends of which,foreonvenience of.storage and 2 transit, can be supplied asseparatesheetsg whose edges areeasily connected together at} the angles of the boxlgy a strong an dtight joint, i which is formed without employing solder, nails, orscrews to secure-the same, and the outer surface of which joint isapproximately level with the sides of the box, so that the outsidemeasurements from edge to edge of the box will approximately correspondwith those I of the body of the box-a matter of importance when freightson the boxes are reckoned by measurement.

My invention consists in a box or the component plates thereof havingthe specific form of joint hereinafter described for connecting thesides and ends of the sheet-metal chests together at the angles of thesame. This special joint is made by forming two folds or flanges with agroove between them at the edges of a sheet, the outer fold of which isabout double the width of the inner one, and projects this extra widthpast the bend of the first fold, and is approximately in the same planeas the sheet itself. The edge of the other sheet to which the connectionis to be made is bent as a single flange to fit into the groove betweenthe double folds of the first-mentioned sheet, and the joint between thetwo sheets is completed by bending or hammering down the projecting edgeof the outside fold, which securely and firmly interlocks the two edgesof the sheets together.

I make the boxes or chests of any description of sheet metal, butpreferably of leaded, tinned, or galvanized iron or steel plates; Theseplates are cut to the requisite size to form the sides and ends plus asufficient extra margin to the edges for forming the joint as abovedescribed, and rectangular pieces are cut out of the corners, so thatthe flanges may Application filedllfay 1, 1889. semi No. 309,172; (Nomodel.)

be" folded as requiredwithout their overlapping and interfering with oneanother.

The sides are preferably made. of equalsized rectangular sheets orplates, and the two 5 5 folds or flanges and groove above describedareconstructed along. three of theiredges, the fourth edge beingbentover as asingle flange, as are also the four edges of the end sheetsor bottoinand lid, and which are made to fit exactl'y into the groovesof the double flanges.

All thejsidesheets are th ussiinilar in size and form andare'ii'iterchangeable and the bottom sheet is a duplicate of the lid.These boxes will be usually made of cubical form-that is,

with four sides and two ends; but they can. also be made with three,five, six, or more sides and twoends, which areso formed asto correspondwith the number of sides. The side sheets are put together by insertingthe single-flanged edge of each sheet into the groove between the doubleflanges of the 7 sheet adjoining it, and the projecting edges of theouter of said double flanges are bent or hammered down as a third foldor flange, f, 5 which closes and secures the joints When these sidesheets are so connected, they form a frame which is open at both endsand with the double flanges and groove all arou nd these open ends. Thesingle flanges on the bottom and lid or end sheets fit exactly intothese grooves, and when the projecting edges of the side sheets are bentor hammered down over the flanges of the end sheets the box or chest iscomplete and so securely closed as to be almost air-tight without theuse of solder, nails,

or screws. The outer fold of this joint being approximately level withthe sides of the box,

a number of the. boxes can be packed closely together for storage orshipment without any space being lost between them, and boxes soconstructed will stand a great amount of rough usage without the.corners or angles being crushed in or damaged, and, further, when thehammered down flanges are carefully 5 turned up again the boxes can betaken asunder into their original separate sheets, so that these sheetsmay be packed closely together for convenience of transport and economyof freight, and they can easily be made up again into boxes and be usedmore than once.

The detail construction of my special joint and its application to theconstruction of boxes or chests will bemore fully understood byreference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a cross-section of a sheet or plate, showing the two flangesand a groove formed on its edge. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the jointcomplete when closed, as before described. Fig. 3 is aplan to a smallerscale of one of the side sheets with the corner-pieces cut out to allowof the flanges being properly folded on it without overlapping oneanother. The dotted lines in this figure indicate the creasing-lines ofthe folds. Fig; 4 is a cross section of four side sheets when fastenedtogether, as above described. Fig. 5 is a crosssection of three sidesheets connected at acute angles by the special joint. Fig. 6 is acrosssection of five side sheets connected at obtuse angles by thespecial joint.

A A are the edges of the sheet on which the double flange and groove areformed.

B is the bend of the inside fold. I R

Q is the outerfold or flange, which is made about double the width ofthe inside flange, and is approximately in the same plane as the body ofthe sheet, as shown in Fig. 1. p

D is the groove between the outer and inner folds. i

E is the edgeof the sheet on which the single flange is formed.

H is the single flange on the edge E and is made to fit into the grooveD;

lVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A metal box or chest the sides and ends of which are formed ofseparatesheets, said sheets being connected together at the respectiveansheet, which receives said single flange H, the

outer fold or flange C of the two folds or flanges of such other partbeing approximately in the .same line or plane as the body of the sheetand extending along substantially the entire width of said sheet, saidflange O projecting beyond the bend of the inner fold B and being turneddown throughout its entire length over said single flange H, therebysecuring the joint, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereofl have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses. I 5 I SAMUEL CLELAND DAVIDSON. Witnesses;

WILLIAM J HN DEVERS, THOMAS WILLIAMS PUGH.

